Facts

Reds live between 3 and 6 years. Many red do not survive their 1st winter this can be because of starvation as they are unable to find food. The cold temperatures also make it hard for young reds to survive their 1st winter.

What do Red Squirrels Look like?

Red squirrels’ fur can range from a warm reddish-brown in summer with a white or blond tail, to a deep brown to almost black. Some have been found with grey and brown mix in winter. Reds’ coats moult twice a year, once after winter and then in the late summer before the weather gets colder.The color may be very variable yet their underside or belly is always cream to white. They have a bushy tail that may change color only in the summer and this is a common sight with the squirrels in the Glens. They also have ear tufts some reds lose this in the summer. They have four fingers and five toes.

What do Squirrels eat?

Red squirrels eat spruce and pine seeds, acorns, berries, fungi, bark and sap tissue. In the autumn they store surplus food either just below the ground or in the gaps in tree trunks.

Reds Sleep and have their baby’s in a Drey. The squirrels build the dreys in the the trees they may build up to 8 in an area. The Drey is made up of moss,grass, twigs and leaves. They will line it with wool and or birds feathers to make it soft and warm in side.

How many baby’s do red squirrels have?

We have found that we have two in a litter but in the mainland UK there have been litters of 5 and 6.

What is a baby squirrel called?

A baby squirrel is called a Kit or kittens.

When do Reds have their Kitttens?

Reds mate between January and March, following a gestation period of 36-42 days. The first litters may not be born until the summer. Red squirrels can have two litters a year if food supply will allow this to happen .
The kittens and are born with their eyes closed, without teeth or hair. They are weaned at 10 weeks, when they are ready to leave the drey.